As a journalist, I often get to connect with people throughout the year who are smart and thoughtful, and I treasure what they say about their life and work. Their ideas about hope come back to mind each January as I try to cultivate a brighter view of the future. A new year can renew our sense of possibility, though that kind of confidence might be hard in such an anxious world.
Here are some pearls of wisdom I encountered last year, words that have helped me keep things in perspective.
Last October, I attended an evening program with Essie Chambers, winner of the 2025 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Now in its 18th year, the award honors the legacy of Gaines, the Louisiana author best known for “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” and “A Gathering of Old Men.” I’ve worked in a small way as a volunteer for the awards program, which is curated by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, so meeting Chambers was special for me.
She was honored because of her debut novel, “Swift River,” which has gotten widespread acclaim since it was published in 2024. As Chambers pointed out when she discussed her novel at the Baton Rouge ceremony, success as an author came slowly for her. For a long time, Chambers recalled, she was known as one of those people always trying to finish a novel.
“It took me almost 10 years to write ‘Swift River,’” she told listeners. “I do think there can be courage in small steps.”
The point is that progress moves so slowly at times that it can seem almost imperceptible. But steady effort over time can eventually pay off, as Chambers and her debut novel make clear. It’s a good point to keep in mind in this season of New Year’s resolutions, when so many of us get discouraged if results don’t come instantly.
The important thing, Chambers suggested, is to make a start somewhere and chip away at it, even when the finish line seems elusive.
“Beginning is a messy business,” she said, “full of doubt and stubborn hope.”
For a magazine story last year, I interviewed Arthur C. Brooks, who writes and lectures about the best way to achieve happiness. His latest book, “The Happiness Files,” elaborates his thinking on the subject.
I asked Brooks how he finds hope these days.
“I understand that well-being trends are moving in the wrong direction, and I’m not incredibly optimistic about those trends making a full U-turn,” Brooks told me. “But I’m not hopeless. The reason I research, write, speak and teach about happiness is because I think — notwithstanding the data in front of me — that I can make a difference. That’s what gives me hope.”
His comments reminded me that hope isn’t only something you feel but something you do. It’s a truth I’ll try to embrace as 2026 unfolds.
Email Danny Heitman at [email protected].
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